Best way to get 12V inside z3 door?

Duncodin

Duncodin

Zorg Guru (IV)
Supporter
Joined
Sep 8, 2021
Points
163
Location
Pontrhydyrun - in Crow Valley
Model of Z
M44 FrankenZed
Anyone have any tips on best way to get 12V into z3 door?

I don't fancy tapping in to anything powered by the ZKE so haven't even checked to see if there's a permanent 12v already in there - unless somebody has done it already and says it worked OK.

I'll be dumping the door speakers so maybe I could cut the speaker wires under the dash and move them over to use as my 12v supply? Or maybe the heated mirror wires? maybe from the fag lighter?

Just thinking that using some unused wires in the door would be easier than fiddling new wires through the door grommet?

Is the door panel properly earthed?

Suggestions anyone
 
Just out of interest what do you need to power. From memory the speaker wires are thin so wont take much current i guess.
I would look to run new wires and leave original wires in place as they would most likely run through a high pass x over.
 
Thanks richard.

The grommet tube that the wires run through from the A pillar into the door isn't really a grommet as such.

Look at where then grommet attaches to the A pillar. It's this big connector.

Screenshot_20240213-094756_Gallery.webp


Doesn't look like something one can pull a wire through

Maybe that little square in the bottom right. Is that a hole where a new cable could be pushed through?
 
I have 8 'spare' wires in my passenger door and 12 in my driver's door.
2 for the door tweeter
2 presumably to power the door airbag (if present)
4 for the electric mirrors
4 extra on driver's side for mirror control switch
All are the same size 0.5mm2, so it doesn't matter from a current capacity POV.

I wouldn't expect any of them to have any bearing on the 'puter, possibly unless you have (had) heated mirrors.

Hardest part IMO is finding the wires inside the car, as BMW do have an annoying habit of changing colours when going through any connector!
 
See picture a few posts above. Little oblong hole in the bottom right corner.

I've wiggled a few additional wires through there so now I have a few 0.75mm wires in the door for future use.

Now just need to find a permanent live somewhere under the dash. If anyone has any suggestions?
 
If you cant find one elsewhere the headlight switch should have at least one permanent live in it as sidelights are always live.

Stephen.
 
Duncodin said:
...
Now just need to find a permanent live somewhere under the dash. If anyone has any suggestions?...
Click to expand...
The fag lighter is always live...
 
Radio has a permanent live and a switched live.

Tony.
 
So is the radio supply. I tapped into that for my DRLs.

Tony.
 
Looking at the Bentley's wiring diagrams, there are an awful lot of electrics that are 'hot' (in their words) all of the time
 
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